News

FIRE DEPARTMENT TRAINING DRILL: On Tuesday night, March 19, members of the Livingston Fire Department held a training exercise in “Enclosed Parking Garage Operations,” reviewing tactics and procedures for fighting vehicle fires in enclosed parking structures. The drill was conducted at Building 3 of the Park-Vue Heights residential complex located off Eisenhower Parkway. Shown here, Engine Company personnel stretch 300 feet of hose to extinguish a car fire at opposite end of parking garage entrance. “I would like to thank John and Steven Chicchino, the owners of Park-Vue Heights, for the opportunity to train in their occupied building and for their continued support of the Fire Department’s training needs,” said Fire Chief Chris Mullin. LFD Photos

The Livingston Board of Education unanimously approved a tentative school district budget for 2019-20 at its meeting on March 25.

The total school budget is $125,819,978, with $115,727,654 to be raised by taxes.

As was reported last week, the tax increase to an owner of an average home, assessed at $600,000, will be $89.

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Two men caught after abandoning their vehicle in Florham Park are facing charges related to the theft of thousands of dollars’ worth of items from the Livingston Mall, according to police. At about 1:03 p.m. on Wednesday, March 20, Livingston Police Officer Dave Naylor was conducting a routine patrol on South Orange Avenue when he observed a vehicle travelling at a high rate of speed and running red lights.

Taylor saw the Mercedes SUVdrive over a concrete island and run a red light at South Orange Avenue and Eisenhower Parkway. The Mercedes then continued driving west at a high rate of speed, at which point Officer Naylor broadcast a description of the car and the direction of travel rather than attempt to pursue the vehicle.

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This week, Jeff “the Coat Guy” Friedman, founder and director of Livingston Philanthropies, Inc. (LPI), in his own words updates residents on the Livingston-based charity, which works to “provide for the poor, homeless and disenfranchised.” The organization holds a seasonal coat drive and a year ’round toiletries collection for the homeless.
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By Jeff Friedman
With so many things happening now, I think it’s important for residents to know about the people of Livingston who have stepped forward to support LPI. I especially want to thank our stalwart volunteers for continuing to make another season of philanthropy happen right here in town.
Chair Donation

At the start of the Wednesday, March 13, Township Council meeting, Livingston Chief of Police Gary Marshuetz promoted three members of the department and swore in three new officers.

Promoted were Lt. Jack Hickey, Sgt. John Maggiulli, and Sgt. Steve McSpirit. Hickey was actually promoted in September but was unable to attend that ceremony. Together, the three have more than 90 years of experience working in the Livingston Police Department.

The three new officers sworn in were Officer Matthew DeBiasse, Officer Todd Compesi, and Officer Levecy DeOliveira.

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ALivingston resident is one of three suspects currently at large after being charged last week following an investigation that led to the seizure of half a million dollars’ worth of drugs and guns, according to a report from the Essex County prosecutor’s office.

Acting Essex County prosecutor TheodoreStephensandNewarkpublic safety director Anthony Ambrose announced that detectives from the Essex County prosecutor’s office narcotics task force executed three search warrants at locations in Livingston, Newark and EastOrange.Confiscatedwere drugs with an estimated street value of half a million dollars. The task force’s members include detectives from the Newark Police Department, Rutgers Police Department and the Newark Police Department’s Emergency Response Team.

At the end of the lengthy Township Council meeting on Wednesday, March 13, the Township Council approved two resolutions that signified the selection of an energy aggregator for Livingston.

The Council held a closed session in conference at 7 p.m. to find out if they could pass resolutions awarding the energy aggregation contract at the regular meeting. Three hours later, they did just that, awarding contracts to third party suppliers in both Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) and Jersey Central Power and Light (JCPL) territories. The Council tried twice last year to award similar contracts, which did not result in enough savings to move forward at those times.

“The bottom line is this is now going to save residents money,” councilman Rudy Fernandez said. “I guess the third time is the charm.”

Several parents and high school students attended the Board of Education meeting on March 18 to speak passionately about the resignation of high school English teacher Meredith Coviello. It had been announced at the March 11 Board meeting.

Applause from the audience followed each speaker.

First up was Andrea Petrullo of Fieldstone Drive, praising Coviello’s positive impact, talent and personal and academic interactions with students. Petrullo’s daughter, who had Coviello last year, “is one of the 400 students expressing support for Ms. Coviello, as am I,” she said.

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Livingston Philanthropies, Inc. (LPI) is continuing its collection of warm clothing and toiletry items for the homeless, including coats, as the weather has continued to remain chilly this past week, particularly the nights.
Earlier this week, LPI founder and director Jeff  “the Coat Guy” Friedman and volunteers Stephen Greenberg and Neil Greco made a huge delivery of coats, family clothing and shoes to its long-time distribution partner, the Willing Heart Community Care Center in Newark. “The sheer volume of Livingston’s continued generosity required several volunteer vehicles,” noted Friedman.
The items went directly to Willing Heart’s Boutique, which offers no-cost family shopping for the homeless and those living below the poverty line all year ’round.

The Livingston Police Department reported several car burglaries and thefts over the past weekend, including one vehicle that was recovered with bullet holes in the windshield. Two teenagers were also caught allegedly attempting to break into a vehicle, according to police.

On Friday, March 8, police were called to a Stoneham Drive home to take a report of a stolen vehicle. The resident said that a Mercedes sedan had been stolen from the garage. The theft occurred between about 9 p.m. on Thursday and 8 a.m. Friday. The garage door had been left open and the key fob has been left in the Mercedes.

After taking the report, the police quickly tracked the Mercedes to Elizabeth where the car was found parked behind by an apartment complex.

On the same day, police took reports from three residents who reported that someone had entered their cars during the previous night. The cars that were entered were on Tremont Terrace, Oakwood Avenue and East Cedar Street.